That’s after Alex Neil masterminded the Black Cats’ promotion from League One through the play-offs. Sunderland defeated Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals over two legs and then Wycombe Wanderers in the final at Wembley.
Ahead of the new campaign, the Black Cats have so far concluded permanent deals for Leon Dajaku, Dan Ballard, Aji Alese and Jack Clarke and have also secured the long-term futures of Lynden Gooch, Bailey Wright and Patrick Roberts.
But what do the ‘experts’ make of their chances this season? Are they forecasting a season of struggle or should supporters be looking up the table, rather than down?
Here, we take a look at some of the early season predictions to see whether the ‘experts’ are predicting a return straight-back to League One for Sunderland.
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1. Norwich City - 1st
Norwich are predicted to finish 1st in the Championship at the end of the 2022-23 season with 85 points, according to data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: David Rogers
2. Watford - 2nd
Watford are predicted to finish 2nd in the Championship at the end of the 2022-23 season with 83 points, according to data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Luke Walker
3. Sheffield United - 3rd
Sheffield United are predicted to finish 3rd in the Championship at the end of the 2022-23 season with 80 points, according to data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: George Wood
4. West Brom - 4th
West Brom are predicted to finish 4th in the Championship at the end of the 2022-23 season with 77 points, according to data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Clive Mason